Soraoi
by I-Heart-Hatake-Kakashi
Summary: Who is this mysterious girl from Shikamaru's past? and what is she hiding? This is about the story, not about hook ups, so if you don't like that, read something else. Mostly GaaraxOC pairing, ShikaxTem implied.
1. A New Arrival

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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It was an average day in Konoha. The village had been low on missions since most of the five nations were now enjoying a peaceful existence and the majority of the missing-nin in the bingo book were either caught or on the run. The rookie nine and team Gai were bored, having nothing to do on yet _another_ day off.

"I HATE this!" yelled a frustrated yellow haired loud mouth.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled as she hit the boy in question over the head. (A/N: don't worry, she didn't hit him _that_ hard).

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head "Sakura-chan! Why did you do that?"

"Because you're too loud, Dobe!" Sasuke replied for his pink haired teammate (A/N: if there is peace, we're running on the assumption that Orochimaru is dead and so are the Akatsuki and Sasuke is back).

"We're all bored, Naruto" stated Tenten.

"Hn." Neji grunted his agreement.

"SO?" yelled Naruto.

"So you don't have to yell Naruto." The ever intelligent Shikamaru replied.

"YOSH!" exclaimed Lee, "YES, IT IS VERY UNYOUTHFUL TO LAMENT-"

SMACK!

"NEJIIIIIII!" Lee screeched as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Hn." Neji remained unmoved.

"W-w-we're here" a shy Hinata voiced.

The group had arrived at the brand new Ichiraku restaurant. The owner of Naruto's favorite ramen stand had finally taken the blond boy's suggestion and moved from his small stand to a big restaurant on the main streets of Konoha. The grand opening had been a month earlier and it had become an instant success.

"Let's order then!" Kiba exclaimed as he hurried the young Hyuga heir into the restaurant, followed shortly after by the rest of their group, except for Choji who was already sitting down and ready to eat.

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"That was great!" exclaimed Naruto.

"It sure was." agreed Choji.

"Ahhhhh… I ate too much." complained a blond kunoichi, as the group walked out of the restaurant.

"What are you talking about, you only ate one bowl… and you didn't even finish it!" exclaimed Tenten.

"Well _some_ of us aren't as lucky as you to not have to diet!" exclaimed Ino at the bun-haired kunoichi.

"The only reason Tenten doesn't diet, Ino, is because Neji works her body so hard!" Sakura replied, matter-of-factly, before realizing what she'd said.

"That did not sound right." Kiba whispered to a blushing Hinata.

An awkward silence fell on the group.

"So are you going stand there all day, or are you coming out?" a bored Shikamaru asked out of nowhere.

Suddenly a young girl, about their age, emerged as if out of thin air next to Shikamaru. She was dressed in a light blue top that seemed to be fitted especially for her, and white caprice. Her hair was a light brown shade, loosely cascading down and reaching the small of her back.

"Shoot! How long have you known I was there?" the girl asked.

Though she was disappointed that the lazy genius had discovered her, it didn't remove the cheerful smile plastered on her face.

"About fifteen minute's now." replied Shikamaru.

"Liar!" the girl pointed accusingly at Shikamaru, "I've only been in the village for ten minutes!" she said smugly.

"Well I felt you coming last week!" retorted Shikamaru. (A/N: sounds weird, I know, but… there's a meaning there).

"Ahhhhh! I hate when you do that" raising both her pointer fingers and moving them back and forth in frustration, the girl gestured at Shikamaru's head and her own simultaneously (A/N: I couldn't think of how better to describe that gesture, but basically implying that he could read her mind).

"Ooh Shiki-kun, I missed you!" the girl said exclaimed as she jumped into Shikamaru's arms to hug the lazy genius.

A fuming Ino clenched her teeth at the sight, as the remaining 10 stood silently, taking in the whole scene.

"Troublesome woman! Get off me!" Shikamaru said, as he gently shoved the girl off of him.

"Oh, you know you love me." The girl cheerfully said, lowering herself back to the ground, as she complied with Shikamaru's request.

"Have you gone home yet? Or to see the hokage for that matter?" Shikamaru asked the girl.

"Choji-kun!" the girl turned to face the named shinobi, ignoring Shikamaru's question. "How have you been Choji-kun?"

"Good." replied Choji, looking the girl up and down, trying to figure out who she was.

"Oh Choji… it's been a LONG time hasn't it?" she stated, "I remember when you were this high." She said, gesturing to about 3 feet tall, "Then again, I was about _this_ high, so we're pretty much the same." She observed, placing her second hand a few inches below the first, before walking up to Choji to give him a hug, which only further infuriated Ino.

The deadly aura emanated from the blond kunoichi did not go unnoticed, but the girl chose to ignore it, instead turning to the rest of the group to introduce herself.

"Forgive Shiki-kun." The girl began, "As much of a genius as he may be, sometimes he just has no manners." She stated matter-of-factly. "My name is Soraoi." (A/N: Sora means sky, and Aoi means blue… I just made this name up… in my mind it means blue sky… this will probably play into the story later on).

Soraoi looked at the others gathered around her, "and let me guess…" she began, "Blond hair, orange jacket, you must be Naruto-kun." She said, pointing at said boy.

"Green jumpsuit… you must be Lee-kun." She stared at Lee and his _interesting_ hairstyle for a moment and then moved on.

"Pink hair… Sakura-san… pale skin, black hair, 'I'm going to kill you if you don't stop looking at me' attitude… you must be Sasuke-kun..." Soraoi said, as she moved away from the aforementioned Uchiha, "twin buns, Chinese top… Tenten-san… white, pupil-less eyes, you two must be Hyuga's… let see… Neji-kun and Hinata-san…" she said as she pointed to each.

"Red fangs, means you're Kiba-kun, which makes _him_" she pointed at the big dog behind them, "Akamaru-kun… that makes your Shino-kun." She motioned towards Shino, "and lastly… you must be the blond haired troublesome woman Shiki-kun is always referring to in his letters… or at least one of them… I'm guessing Ino-san… did I get that right?"

"Yes, yes… you got them all." Shikamaru exclaimed anxiously. "So tell me, how long are you here for this time?"

"Good-kami, are you THAT eager to get rid of me?" Soraoi pouted questioningly.

"No." Shikamaru replied, somewhat taken-aback. "You're just never here for very long."

"Well, I'll have you know." Soraoi perked up again, "That your life long wish has finally been fulfilled." She paused, "I'm here to stay!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Shikamaru stood there, not quiet convinced that this was true.

"What about Tomoe-sama?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, Tomoe-sensei died. So now I'm without a home, which means, I'm here for good." Soraoi replied, as cheerfully as she could, but on the inside she could feel the urge to cry rising.

"You've always had a home." Shikamaru replied solemnly.

"Yeah… well…" Soraoi turned to hide the tears that were threatening to release themselves from her eyes. "I think I should go talk with the Hokage." She said, blinking back the tears before turning back to face the group once more.

"It was nice meeting all of you. Choji-kun, nice seeing you again." Soraoi said as she smiled and waved goodbye, "I'll see you later Shiki-kun." And with that, she ran off towards the hokage tower.

"Shikamaru…" Choji began.

"I'll go see if she's okay." Shikamaru replied, guessing at what his best friend was about to ask, before chasing off after the girl (A/N: Choji was about to ask is Shikamaru thought that Soraoi was okay).

"So… Choji-_kun_" Ino began, emphasizing the 'kun' that Soraoi added to his name "Who was that girl?..."

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**A/N**: don't you just hate it with authors leave you stranded at a pivotal point?... well it's almost 4 am… so I'm too tired to continue… but I promise that you'll find out who Soraoi is on the next chapter.

And for those of you reading my other story (the unfinished one)… there's just one chapter left on it and I want it to be good, so I'm taking my time… and for anyone waiting for the Itsu story… I promise to start it soon… I already have one chapter done, but I don't want to really post it until I have time to work on more… probably not til this story is done… I don't expect this one to be very long…

**Next up:** The sand siblings…


	2. Enter the Sand Siblings

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and Baki stood in front of Tsunade's desk. They were in Konoha to celebrate the upcoming "Peace Day"; a creation of the Hokage to lift the spirits of the bored shinobi, and a way to strengthen alliances between the five great nations.

"It is an honor to have you all here for our festival." Tsunade told her guests, "ANBU will show you where you will be staying, and I will have escorts for you once you settle in."

Before any of the sand ninja could reply, the doors to Tsunade's office crashed open.

"OUTTA MY WAY!" a girl's voice yelled out.

"Move, Woman!" came a familiar male voice.

"Whatever happened to 'Lady's first'?" the girl asked.

"I'm older." Was the boys reply.

"SO?!?!"

"So, as your senior, I go first."

"Well, you're a Chunin and I'm a Jonin, which means, I'm YOUR superior; so I go first. HA!"

"Well, I'm smarter."

"Well, I'm prettier!"

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade interrupted the squabble. "What's going on here?" she demanded.

"Oh, gomen, Hokage-sama." The girl, Soraoi, replied, bowing her head in respect.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled.

"FORGET IT!" Tsunade exclaimed, "Shikamaru, I was about to send for you."

"What now?" Shikamaru moaned.

"I need you to escort our guest's here." She motioned towards the sand-nin. "I want you to show them around the festival, and make sure they have everything they need."

"There's a festival?" Soraoi excitedly cheered, "Why didn't you say so Shiki-kun?"

"What? The decorations out on the streets weren't enough of a clue?" Shikamaru asked, "You really are slow aren't you?"

"You take that back!" Soraoi huffed, pouncing on Shikamaru as she playfully punched him in the arm.

"Make me." Shikamaru replied, pushing the girl off of him.

"Ahhhhh. Just because I'm not as smart as you doesn't mean I'm stupid!" Soraoi fumed.

"You could have fooled me." Shikamaru mumbled.

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade yelled for a second time. "Who are you?" she asked Soraoi.

"Oh. Forgive my manners, Hokage-sama" Soraoi replied, as if she had forgotten that others were present. She slowly approached Tsunade, "My name is Nara Soraoi." She replied, politely bowing before the hokage.

"Nara?!?!" a certain blond sand-nin exclaimed in confusion and anger (though she'd never admit to it).

"Shikamaru…" Tsunade began "did you go get married on your last mission without tell us?" the Hokage asked, half serious, but mostly just to bother the easily irritable shinobi.

"NO!" replied Shikamaru. (A/N: ummm… Shikamaru might appear to be acting a little OCC, but once you realize who Soraoi is, which you will in a few seconds, you'll realize exactly why he's acting so out of character).

Soraoi began laughing uncontrollably at the Hokage's remark; as a result, everyone's attention fell back on her.

"N-no" Soraoi tried to steady her voice from all the laughter. "No, No. I'm Shiki-kun's twin sister." She explained. (A/N: see, I TOLD you… now it makes sense right?... Shikamaru's just acting like any irritated brother would).

"Sister?" questioned Tsunade.

"Hai." Soraoi replied in the affirmative.

"Why- why is it that -that… we've never heard of you." Shizune, who had been standing next to Tsunade the whole time, asked/stated bluntly.

"Um… well, I've been away for many years." Soraoi explained.

"Go on." Tsunade encouraged.

"Well, when I was very young, mother and father sent me away to train under Tomoe-sensei."

"Tomoe-sama? From Kirigakure, the village hidden in the mist? One of the legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? THAT Tomoe-sama?" a stunned Shizune asked. (A/N: not really, just made that up… back-story…)

"Hai." Soraoi nodded her head.

"And where is Tomoe now?" Tsunade questioned.

"She- She's dead." Soraoi replied, casting her eyes down. That familiar ache in her chest returned, but she refused to break down before anyone.

"How is that possible?" Tsunade demanded.

Everyone knew that Tomoe was among the strongest kunoichi to ever live, also being the only female of the seven swordsmen; though most would not have realized it upon first seeing her. Tomoe had been single minded in her quest for power; rejecting the norms of society, she often dressed as a man, having her hair cut short and training herself endlessly, resulting in massive amount of muscles framing her wide and tall physique. She'd never been much of a beauty herself, often being mistaken for a man; as a result, she was never very feminine.

Her beauty, as Soraoi claimed, was in her fighting. While most of the legendary seven had become missing-nin, Tomoe had stayed loyal to her village. Over time, while many of the rouge swordsmen had been slain in battle, having lost some of their edge when they split up and went missing, Tomoe had only grown in strength. Which was why Tsunade found it hard to believe that a kunoichi of such caliber could have been defeated, and no one would have heard about it.

"We were traveling through Rain country, when we were ambushed. We fought back, but there were too many of them. When I came too, Tomoe had already been killed." Soraoi explained, feeling the lump forming in her throat, as she fought back the urge to cry once more.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Tsunade began, "But why _her_ and not _you_?" she asked bluntly, watching the girl before her intently.

"I was pretty." Soraoi's quiet respond came, as she lowered her head to face the floor, feeling the urge to run and hide, but unable to do so.

"What does that mean?" Tsunade asked, not quite getting it yet.

"They decided to keep me around for a while." Soraoi stated. All emotion having been drained from her face and voice at that point.

The memory of what she had endured those last few months had been unbearable. She had built walls inside herself to forget, but as strong as she pretended to be, she couldn't completely remove herself from the ache she felt inside. She had lost her mentor, her friend, her family, and yet it hadn't been the worst thing to happen to her. She hadn't even had time to mourn Tomoe.

"I think it's time to leave." Shikamaru stated, as he moved towards his sister.

Shikamaru walked over to where Soraoi stood, gently took her hand and began walking towards the doors where moment's earlier they had been bickering, as siblings tend to do.

He _had_ understood what Soraoi had said from the beginning, and it pained him to see his sister hurting, especially now that he knew the reason why.

"Tsunade-sama, as soon as I take my sister home and I'll return to escort the sand-nin." Shikamaru said, before walking out of the office in silence, leaving the four sand-nin, hokage, and Shizune behind.

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**A/N:** okay, so this is different. I was planning on having this be a fun, light hearted fic, but apparently the story had a different plan in mind. It went this way and, what can I say… We'll all just have to wait and see how it turns out.

I'm not used to doing angsty type stories; so bare with me. For anyone who didn't get it (and by "it" I mean what happened to Soraoi(\), I'll tell you on my next chapter. I'm kind of hoping some people do get it, and some people don't, but I really hope that once I tell you, it'll make sense.

**Next up:** preparing for the festival, and some more angsty stuff… I think in the next chapter we'll finally have Gaara and Soraoi speak (oh yeah, they're going to be a couple… that was the whole point of this story to begin with, though… clearly it went in a different direction, still I'm definitely making them a couple).


	3. Sister

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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"Shikamaru's sister." Tenten said disbelievingly.

"Yeah…" the three other girls sat in the booth, each in a daze as they processed the information Choji had given them after Soraoi and Shikamaru left to see the Hokage.

"I didn't even know he had a sister." Sakura commented.

"Neither did I." Ino stared at the wall in front of her, wondering why her teammate had never told her about Soraoi.

Choji was obviously Shikamaru's best friend. They had been best friends since their academy days, but Ino had known the both of them just as long. Sure, they hadn't become friends until they were placed in the same genin cell, but all three of their father's had been friends since _their_ genin days, so naturally Ino, Choji and Shikamaru had spent a lot of time together growing up. They'd practically grown up together. So, how was it that Ino had never met this Soraoi? Why didn't she even know about her? This was definitely something she was going to have to talk to Shikamaru about.

"She's very pretty." Hinata said in a small voice.

"Yeah." Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"She doesn't really look like Shikamaru though" Ino observed.

"Are you saying Shikamaru's ugly?" came a voice from behind the four kunoichi.

"Temari?" Tenten turned to face her best friend.

Whereas Neji was known for holding grudges, Tenten had never been one to stay mad at anyone. True, she had been disappointed after her loss against the older kunoichi at the Chunin exam, but she had never felt any animosity towards Temari. If anything, she had admired the woman who had beaten her. They'd seen each other a handful of times afterwards, and later, when Temari became an ambassador to Konoha, they had gotten to know one another better and became good friends, much to displeasure of Ino, whom Tenten had also befriended, along with Sakura and Hinata.

"Hello Tenten." Temari smiled, walking over towards the girls. "Hello Sakura, Hinata, Ino." Temari greeted the four Konoha kunoichi as she took a seat next to Tenten.

"Hello Temari-san" Hinata replied.

"Hi Temari" Sakura smiled uneasily as she looked over towards _her_ best friend.

"Temari" Ino acknowledged the older girl, but only out of courtesy; on the inside she was smoldering in anger.

It wasn't really that Ino hated Temari, but it bothered her how Temari would cling to Shikamaru. She didn't know why that was though; it wasn't like she liked Shikamaru or anything. _That lazy ass?_ The very idea of **her** liking that lazy bum was ludicrous; or so she told herself.

"So Temari" Tenten interrupted the awkward silence that fell upon them. "You're here for the festival, I take it?"

"Yeah, my brother's and I are here with Baki." Temari explained.

"Oh? Where are Gaara, Kankuro, and Baki-san anyway?" Sakura asked, looking around for the three shinobi.

"Apparently, even though we've been here many times over the years, Tsunade-sama feels the need to give us escorts." Temari wryly replied, "So Gaara is with Naruto, Kankuro is with Kiba, and Baki is with Genma."

"So, whose you're escort?" Hinata shyly inquired.

"Well, it was supposed to be Shikamaru, but with his sister showing up, I doubt he'll be coming back like he promised." Temari confessed.

"So YOU know about his sister?" Ino asked.

This did not sit well with Ino. Just moments earlier, she'd found out about this new sister; even though she and Shikamaru had been friends since they were very young children, and yet here was this foreign kunoichi, who they'd only met a few years ago, and yet she already knew about Soraoi. How long had she known about her? Had she met Soraoi before? Were they friends? How much did she know? The anger that had been building inside Ino, since the moment she had heard Temari, was now replaced by a deep and painful sadness. If the older kunoichi knew about Soraoi, that meant she probably knew more about Shikamaru than even Ino herself; which meant that Ino had lost. What it was she'd lost, Ino couldn't tell, but she felt it in her heart; she'd never even been a match for the older girl.

"Yeah, they came into the Hokage's office while we were in there." Temari explained, purposely leaving out the fact that up until that moment she had never even known that Shikamaru had a twin sister. "Is that who you were talking about before I arrived here?" Temari asked.

"Yes." Hinata replied.

"Well, you're right, she's definitely a lot prettier then Shika." Temari replied. "And she must be pretty powerful too." She added.

"How so?" Tenten wondered.

"Well, for one, she's a jonin." Temari noted.

"She is?" Sakura was amazed. In part, she was amazed that anyone as cute and tiny as Soraoi could become a jonin at such a young age, but she was more surprised that Temari knew this.

"Yeah; and even more impressive is the fact that she trained under Tomoe." Temari was certain at least Tenten would be as impressed with this piece of information as she had been when she heard it. Tomoe had been one of Temari's idols when she was younger. It was said that Tomoe possessed the strength of 10 men. Once, she had even taken down an entirely army with one swing of her sword. Temari had been shocked to hear that she'd been so easily defeated by a few rouge ninja's. It just didn't seem plausible.

"THE Tomoe?" Tenten exclaimed.

"Who's Tomoe?" Sakura asked.

"Are you kidding?" Tenten looked at Sakura questioningly, "She's one of the greatest kunoichi alive. She's legendary; the only kunoichi of the seven swordsmen from the village hidden in the mist. It's said she was the strongest among them, which is the only reason they accepted her." Tenten sat in awe, "Soraoi is so lucky to have been trained by such a skilled master."

"Yeah, I was pretty impressed myself." Temari admitted, "The girl doesn't look like much. Sure she's pretty, but as a warrior, she's quite small. She can't be more than five feet, and her frame is quite petite; feminine and slender, but not very well built for a fighter." Temari observed, "But there must be something to her if she were able to live through an ambush that even the great Tomoe-sama couldn't."

"What do you mean?" Ino finally spoke up; very interested in this new girl's mysterious past.

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"She was held captive by the rogue ninja's" Kankuro told the other's present.

Shortly after meeting up with Kiba, the pair had run into Naruto, Lee, Choji, Shino and Sasuke, who were all helping each other train for the upcoming jonin selections. Neji and Gaara were there too. Neji was there to find someone to spar with since Tenten had taken off to be with the girls, and Gaara was there because Naruto was his escort.

"So what does that mean?" Naruto asked. They were all taking a break discussing the current topic of Shikamaru's sister's reappearance in the village.

"Don't be stupid dobe." Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Everyone knows what happens to a kunoichi when she's held captive."

"WHAT?" Lee also wondered. Neji only looked at his teammate. Sometimes he was amazed at Lee's innocence, but it was also one of the things he admired about Lee; no matter how much of the worlds ugliness he saw, Lee still strongly believed in the good nature of people.

Never much one for tact, Shino bluntly responded, "She was raped." before standing up and moving back to the clearing to resume his training.

"WHAT?!?!?" Naruto couldn't believe what he'd heard, "Why would you say that?" Naruto demanded.

"Because, dobe, there's only one reason a group of S-class missing-nin would keep a young kunoichi." Sasuke stated.

"It's a risk all kunoichi are aware of" Neji added, "which is why there are so few kunoichi compared to male shinobi."

"I wonder how Shikamaru's taking this." Kiba said, "I know if it were my sister…" he didn't even want to finish that thought.

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"Shiki-kun?" Soraoi whispered; not wanting to disturb her brother, who was laying next to her on the soft green grass.

"What is it?" Shikamaru opened his eyes and turned to face her.

"I thought we were going home." Soraoi looked over at her brother.

They had been lying out in this grassy field for what seemed like hours; just staring up into the clouds. Over the years, Soraoi had written countless letters to her brother, and had learned of his love of cloud watching. In her travels through the five nations and beyond, Soraoi had always found a certain comfort in that. Looking up into the sky, she had felt connected to her home.

"You know, we're a lot like that." Shikamaru ignored her question.

"A lot like what?" Soraoi asked, not understanding what he was referring to.

"The sky." Shikamaru replied.

"oh?" Soraoi inquired.

"You're a lot like the sky…" Shikamaru began.

"Soraoi… blue sky. So?" still not quite understanding what Shikamaru was trying to say. (A/N: if you all forgot, Soraoi means blue sky… at least in my own little world).

"No, I mean… You've always had an endless spirit and energy to you. Even when we were little, everyone could see your potential, which is why you were sent to train under Tomoe. You've always been… limitless… like the sky."

"And you?" Soraoi curiously asked.

"I'm more like a cloud." Shikamaru said, "I drift lazily in the wind, just letting life happen."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short Shiki-kun" Soraoi commented, sitting up from where she was lying down. "The sky's just there. But clouds…Clouds are much more useful. They provide shade from the heat; they water the vegetation that provides air, food and medicines; they're constantly changing, taking on different forms for different purposes."

"Yes, but a cloud would be nothing without the sky." Shikamaru interjected.

The pain that Soraoi had been feeling since they left the Hokage's office was forgotten for the moment, as she thought over the words Shikamaru had said. She felt touched.

"Arigato, Shiki-kun." Soraoi bent over and gave him a peak on the cheek before standing and starting to walk home.

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**A/N:** I'm so happy people are reading and liking this story. Thank you ThisIsntClaire, Boredwithlifeandlove, and ShikaTema.rox.like.hell for your reviews. I hope you liked this chapter too… :D and yes Boredwithlifeandlove, kudo's to you, you got it!

**NEXT UP:** this time for sure, I'll have Gaara and Soraoi finally talk… and some Shikamaru/Temari, at least I hope, but really, this is still in a brainstorming stage, so I can't be sure.


	4. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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"Hey, SHIKAMARU!" Shikamaru heard a familiar blond haired loudmouth call him from the distance.

"Not now Naruto." Shikamaru turned to face Naruto, who was accompanied by Gaara, Kiba, Kankuro, Sasuke, Neji, and Lee.

"What's wrong?" Neji inquired, seeing the worried expression on Shikamaru's face.

"It's Soraoi." Shikamaru anxiously scanned the surrounding area.

"What's wrong with your sister?" Kankuro asked.

"I can't find her." Shikamaru replied.

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

"I mean, she took off." Shikamaru replied.

"Why would she do that?" Naruto asked.

"Because she's a woman. And they're all troublesome." Shikamaru was irritated. They were wasting his time.

Of course he knew why she'd taken off. It was entirely their mother's fault. It never failed; the second that Soraoi showed up, everyone would be thrilled. Soraoi would be happy to be home, regardless of what brought her there (be it to rest or because some relative died); Shikamaru would be happy to have his sister there; their father would be excited to see his beloved little girl; and their mother would start bitching about one thing or another. Oh, it wasn't that Yoshino didn't love her daughter; on the contrary, she loved her very much. Just as Shikamaru wrote Soraoi letters every day, Yoshino would send her just as many care packages; new clothes, new weapons, books to read, stationary, pens, money. Soraoi was always far from home, but never far from their thoughts, and Yoshino always made sure she knew this. The only problem was that because Soraoi had left when she was only three years old, mother and daughter had never had time to form a bond other then on paper. So it happened that when they were actually in physical proximity, they just could not get along.

"NOT TO WORRY, OUR DEAR FRIEND, WE SHALL HELP YOU FIND YOUR LOVELY SISTER." Lee exclaimed. The other boys agreed with Lee, they would also help in the search.

"Thanks. Choji is already helping me look. So is my father." Shikamaru replied.

"We should get the girls to help too." Kankuro suggested.

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"So there's nothing about Tomoe?" Tsunade asked Shizune.

"No, nothing. Nothing at all." Shizune grimly replied.

"How is it possible that a legendary kunoichi could die and no one has heard anything about it?" Tsunade paced through the room, frustrated that all efforts to confirm Soraoi's story led to nothing but dead ends. "Is it possible the girl was lying?"

"No; we've verified that there _was_ an ambush in the location we were directed to. It appeared that there were about fifteen or twenty missing-nin against just the two." Shizune informed.

"Then it is true?" Tsunade slumped down onto her chair.

"We can't say for certain. ANBU reports that there were a number of casualties, but they couldn't confirm that Tomoe was among them." Shizune read off of the mission report in front of her.

"So she could still be alive?" Tsunade reasoned.

"But then why wouldn't she have gone back to save Soraoi?" Shizune wondered.

"It's possible, like Soraoi, Tomoe believed that the other had been killed during the ambush." Tsunade offered.

"But then we would have heard something about her, wouldn't we?" Shizune asked.

"That's true." Tsunade taped her fingers on the desk. _So which is it? Is Tomoe alive or isn't she? If she is, why hasn't anyone heard anything? And if she isn't, why doesn't anyone know?_

"There's more." Shizune began.

"More?" Tsunade shook away her thoughts and listened to what Shizune had to say.

"It seems that the group of missing-nin Soraoi was captured by is planning something." Shizune looked up from the mission report she held in her hand to see Tsunade's reaction.

"Planning something?" Tsunade knew this couldn't possibly be good news.

The five nations had finally reached a peaceful co-existence. Many of the major enemy organizations and rouge ninjas in the bingo book had been captured or scattered throughout the nations, hiding from the authorities. Their numbers had dwindled and there were few groups that were known to include more than two or three rouge ninjas, thus being considered of very little threat, since the majority of those still classified as missing were Chunin level or lower.

"It appears that a number of missing-nin are teaming up to strike against the five nations. The group that Soraoi was captured by seems to be the lead unit, made up mostly of S-class shinobi."

"S-Class?" Tsunade was shocked, it was believed that most S-class missing-nin had already been captured, but if what Shizune said was true, that meant there were at least a dozen or so left, which meant if they all teamed up, it could result in serious trouble later on.

"Yes, we were surprised to find out there were so many left as well." Shizune replied.

"What could they be planning?" _This can't be good_, Tsunade thought.

"We still have no idea," Shizune confessed, "but ANBU is investigating as we speak."

"Whatever it is," Tsunade stood up from her desk, "it's going to have to be something big to hit a blow against all five nations." She walked over to the window to look down upon the streets below, as the villagers prepared for the festivities of the following day.

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Soraoi was frustrated.

The last few months had been an eternity to her. The pain of losing her mentor, her master, her friend; it had all been so draining. And then, the experience she had had to endure; to be held captive for months by a group of missing-nin, to satisfy their carnal urges. It had been unbearable.

Since escaping that hell, she'd often find herself waking up in the middle of the night, trembling from the sheer terror. She had never had nightmares until then; never had a reason to. She'd never been scared of anything; never been one to be scared of the dark, but now, she found herself cowering at every shadow, jumping at every noise. It wasn't like her, and she hated it. So she hid it. Smiled when she wanted to cry, laughed when she wanted to scream, joked when she wanted to throw up; she tired so hard to pretend that everything was okay, that she almost convinced herself it was… almost.

But she couldn't forget. Try as she might, she couldn't. She'd often asked herself how it was possible that she had lived through it. As each night that she was there fell, knowing what was coming, she had wanted to die. And not a peaceful, pain-free death; she wanted to die painfully, she wanted to hurt. She had yearned for a physical pain that could hurt her enough to make her forget about the emotional one. She had prayed for the darkness to engulf her so that she would not have to awaken to yet another day of the same.

As the day's had passed, she had begun to grow colder and colder. She had learned to block out everything. Ignored the taunting, the touches, the laughter; she had ignored it all.

Studying under Tomoe had taught her to bring stillness in battle. To forget all emotions and to allow the movement of her body, be the only thing on her mind. Tomoe had once told her that the key to maintaining one's sanity in the insane world of the shinobi was to remove one's self from the job. Soraoi had learned this, and taken it to heart. It made it easier to face death so often. She had accepted death and killing as a part of her life, believing it was the role all shinobi were born to; but she never liked the killing, she strongly believed that it worst than death, though death was never an option. She never thought there could be anything worst then killing; she was wrong.

Soraoi threw yet another shuriken at the poor defenseless tree in front of her. The battle field had always been the place where she had found comfort. Though she didn't like killing, she thoroughly enjoyed fighting. She's always felt there was a beauty to the movements in a fight; like a dance. Leaping through the air, the foot work, the way her body bent, the way her arms swung with each hit, each weapon thrown; it was art. It was also an excellent way to deal with frustration, which is why Soraoi now found herself surrounded by punctured trees.

"Everyone's looking for you" a voice from behind the trees flatly stated.

"Oh?" Soraoi had known that the boy was standing there, watching her.

She had been waiting for him to come out for some time now. At first she had been a little nervous about the strange presence she had felt. It was a strong and dark chakra; almost blood thirsty. When she had determined that he meant her no harm, she had begun to realize how much like Tomoe's that chakra was. It wasn't that they were the same, but there was a similar tortured feeling to the chakra. When Soraoi had first met Tomoe, the heated darkness of her soul had terrified Soraoi, but she had grown to realize that it was not sinister malice that dwelt in her heart; it was loneliness. Soraoi suspected it was the same for this boy.

"Shikamaru is worried." The boy stated.

Soraoi eyed the boy curiously for a moment. He was taller than her, which wasn't that much of an accomplishment considering she was rather petite, but he still stood about half a foot taller than her. He had blood red hair, cut short and spiky. His eyes were a teal color, surrounded by what appeared to be thick eyeliner, but too prefect to really be make up. He was dressed in brown and wore a giant gourd strapped to his back. He had a symbol on his forehead; Love. In a way, it seemed to clash with the coldness of the boys face, but in his eyes, she could tell it was fitting.

"I'm aware of this" she responded, unable to take her eyes off of the young man before her.

"And it means nothing to you?" Gaara asked.

"It means everything to me." She countered. "But I needed to get away."

"Why?" Gaara wasn't usually one to ask too many questions, or to care for the response for that matter, but there was something in this girl's eyes that had him captivated, and he couldn't quite understand what it was.

"I just did." She replied, thinking it over. "Haven't you ever felt like you just didn't… fit?"

"Hn." He didn't know what to say; of course he knew how that felt. He's spent most of his life feeling that way.

"Who are you?" Soraoi gave him a questioning look.

"Gaara" he replied.

"Gaara…" she repeated, "That makes senses." She said thoughtfully.

"…" he didn't quite understand what she was getting at until he noticed her looking at the kanji on his forehead.

"Gaara…" She said thoughtfully, "Gaara of the sand."

She couldn't believe she hadn't known. Shikamaru had told her many stories about the sand siblings; he'd even described Gaara's physical appearance. How had she not realized that _this_ was Gaara? Oh, but she knew why. Whenever Shikamaru wrote about the sand siblings, Soraoi had always been more interested in what he had to say about Temari then about Gaara or Kankuro.

"Yes." He calmly replied.

"So you're the Kazekage." She stated thoughtfully. "You're very young."

"…"

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**A/N**: Yay! I'm so glad people are enjoying this story. This chapter was a little more about the back-story, character development and getting Gaara and Soraoi to meet; but there was also some foreshadowing (which I've been doing a lot of in previous chapters).

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, I've got some plans for future chapters, by hey, if any of you have any ideas or suggestions for the story I'm always more than happy to hear from readers.

Thanks again to everyone whose read and reviewed. **:D**

**UP NEXT: **the festival.


	5. Gaara

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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"So you're the Kazekage." Soraoi stated thoughtfully. "You're very young."

"…" Gaara stood there watching as Soraoi picked up the bag that lay discarded at her feet.

"Shiki-kun said you weren't the talkative type." Soraoi walked over to the tree she's been puncturing with projectile weapons and began to remove them from the tree trunk.

"Hn." He grunted, watching her pack up the remaining few weapons into her bag.

"He also told me you were really strong." She closed her bag and began walking towards Gaara.

"I suppose." He replied.

"Well you must be, to be had been given the title of Kazekage, and all." Soraoi reasoned.

He watched as she approached him, coming to a stop a few feet from where he stood.

"You were in the Hokage's office when Shiki-kun and I went in weren't you?" Soraoi asked.

"Yes." Gaara coolly replied.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself then." Soraoi stared at him, making Gaara a little uneasy. "It's never too late though." She smiled, bouncing the remaining few steps towards him. "It's nice to meet you Kazekage-sama; I'm Nara Soraoi." She bowed as a show of respect.

"Gaara." He responded.

"Excuse me?" she tilted her head slightly, indicating that she didn't understand.

"Call me Gaara." He clarified.

"Oh. Okay. Gaara-sama." She extended her hand out to him.

"Just Gaara." He replied, as he looked down at the small hand in front of him.

"Gaara." She repeated. "Nice to meet you Gaara-kun."

"And you; Soraoi." He took her tiny hand in his and shook it.

Gaara was a bit surprised by his own actions. He was never one to be outwardly friendly to a complete strange, or to anyone else really; though most people would probably not consider shaking a person's hand or telling her to call him by his name, instead of his title, as particularly friendly. Nonetheless, Gaara felt slightly out of character as he stood before the perky girl who was currently smiling broadly at him.

Knowing what she had been through, yet seeing her maintain such a cheerful disposition, Gaara felt something awaken inside him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he kind of liked it.

"So…" Soraoi began, "Isn't there a festival going on or something?" she asked.

"Tomorrow." He replied.

"Oh." Soraoi stood silent for a moment, clearing thinking about something.

"We should get going." Gaara stated.

"Right." Soraoi walked up next to Gaara and latched her right arm into his left. "So Gaara-kun, tell me… what do you know about my brother and your sister?"

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"Still haven't found her?" Temari walked up to Shikamaru.

"No. We've been looking for hours, and it's getting pretty late." Shikamaru replied, looking up into the darkening sky. "Troublesome woman" he mumbled under his breath; though Temari still heard it.

"What?!?!" Temari shouted.

"Not you." Shikamaru stepped back. Getting Temari angry at him was the last thing he needed.

"We'll find her." Temari tried reassuring him, in a much softer voice. She walked up next to him and took his hand in hers.

"I know" Shikamaru sighed, "it's just…"

"She'll be okay." She gently squeezed Shikamaru's hand.

"I hope so." He whispered, squeezed her hand back.

"SHIKI-KUN" a voice in the distance yelled out from behind the pair.

Shikamaru and Temari turned around and saw Soraoi and Gaara walking towards them.

"Looks like Gaara found your sister." Temari observed.

"Huh." Shikamaru noticed Soraoi clinging onto the Kazekage's left arm.

"What?" Temari turned to face Shikamaru, "I thought you'd be happy to see her."

"I am." Shikamaru replied, without removing his eyes off the couple headed towards them.

"Then is it that you don't like seeing her with my little brother?" Temari teased him.

She too had noticed how close the other two were walking. Knowing her brother though, she was certain that he was probably feeling as uncomfortable about it as Shikamaru was. It was cute to see Shika so overprotective of his little sister. (A/N: I know, they're twins, but let's just say that Shika is the older one).

"I'm sorry Shiki-kun" Soraoi gave Shikamaru a half smile.

"You better be." Shikamaru replied, though not in an accusing tone.

Soraoi only giggled at his attempt to scold her. "I didn't mean to make you worry, Shiki-kun." She said more seriously, "it's just…"

"I know." Shikamaru cut her off, understand what she meant. (A/N: I don't even know what she meant, but… they're twins, doing that twin thing… lol).

"So you must be Temari-san" Soraoi turned to the blond kunoichi standing besides Shikamaru.

"And you're Nara Soraoi." Temari replied.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Soraoi extended her hand to shake Temari's.

"Likewise." Temari replied, taking Soraoi's hand.

"We should get going." Shikamaru looked up at the sky. It was getting dark out, and they needed to get home.

"Okay." Soraoi let go of Gaara's arm and walked over to Shikamaru.

"Thank you Gaara-sama." Shikamaru nodded at the redhead.

Gaara only nodded his head to acknowledge the other shinobi's thanks.

"So we'll see you tomorrow at the festival right?" Soraoi asked the two sand siblings.

"Sure, that would fun." Temari answered for the two. Gaara remained unmoved, yet all the while not taking his eyes off of Soraoi.

"Good night then." Soraoi smiled, as she and Shikamaru began making their way home. "Oh," she turned to face them Suna ninja once more, "thanks for the walk Gaara-kun." She smiled and waved goodbye before turning back to follow her brother.

"Gaara-_kun_?" Temari smirked at her little brother, before taking off in the opposite direction.

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**A/N**: I was going to make this longer to include the festival next, but I kind of liked where this ended, and I figured I'd post it before going to bed. Tomorrow I will definitely work on the Festival. I've got a few ideas for it already. One main one that I've been foreshadowing, but will hopefully still take some people by surprise. I have a few funny ideas including the other characters. And no worries ShikaTema.rox.like.hell, Kankuro won't be alone, he just doesn't get a Nara… lol

Anyway, I hope you all liked these small Gaara x Soraoi and Shika x Tem moments. **:D**

**Thanks again to everyone whose reviewed. **

**Next up: **the Festival (for real this time… lol)


	6. Festival Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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"Wakey, Wakey" Soraoi nudged the pile of blankets on the floor with her left foot.

"hmph" the lump groan, shifting its position away from Soraoi's foot.

"SHIKI-KUN!" she yelled, bending down to strip the covers off of the lazy genius. "Wake up!"

"Troublesome woman, leave me alone." Shikamaru groaned, sticking an arm out from under the covers to push her away.

"But we're going to be late!" Soraoi exclaimed as she moved towards the dresser and began pulling out clothes.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing his eyes as he rose from the futon. "And late for what?"

"Hellooooo, sleepy-head." She walked over to him and knocked on his head as she said this.

"Get away from me woman." He slapped away her hand.

"Aww, Shiki-kun's not a morning person." Soraoi teased. "Did you forget?" She rose to her feet and impatiently looked down at him with her hands on her waist.

"Forget?" Shikamaru arched an eyebrow.

"We're supposed to meet up with Gaara-kun and Temari-san for the festival." She shoved some clothes into his arms.

"What's this?" Shikamaru looked down at the bundle she handed him.

"tsk, you don't think you're going dressed like that, do you?" she scoffed.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he looked down at his usual black outfit and Chunin vest.

"For one, you didn't even change out of it to go to sleep." Soraoi pinched her nose teasingly, "and secondly, it's a festival! You're not going to go dressed the same way you always dress."

"I'm not dressing up." Shikamaru looked down at the yukata she had handed him.

It was navy blue with white clouds and a sky blue obi. Soraoi had given it to him as a birthday gift the previously year. She had told him she'd found it in Kumogakure, while she and Tomoe were passing through Lightning country. He had thought it was a very thoughtful gift, like all her other presents, but had yet to actually wear it.

"Come on Shiki-Kun." Soraoi plead, "I bet Temari-san would really like it." She teased.

"Fine, fine, fine; if only to get you to stop pestering me." He sighed.

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Temari and Gaara were waiting for Shikamaru and Soraoi in front of the hokage tower. Kankuro had decided not to join them, Temari suspected it had something to do with a certain Inzuka Hana.

Kankuro had informed Temari that he would be helping the Inzuka's with their booth in the festival. She had also seen him getting dressed up in a gray yukata, and she was fairly certain it wasn't to impress Kiba. _I'll make sure to tease him about it later._

"That lazy Shikamaru." Temari groaned.

"Hn." Gaara stood in his white Kazekage robes, watching his sister pace infuriately in front of him.

He had never been one for waiting, himself; and though he was not as easily frustrated as his hot-headed sister, the truth was, he was feeling just as anxious as Temari. He wanted to see Soraoi again. After seeing her in the Konoha forest, Gaara had been unable to stop thinking of her.

When he first laid eyes on her in the Hokage's office, he had thought her a silly girl, but upon hearing of what she'd been through and seeing the strength and resolve in her eyes, he had been… captivated. It was the only way he could think to describe what he felt now. There was something enchanting about her that he couldn't quite figure out. She seemed so unlike the other girls; complicated, yet surprisingly easy to understand.

"Gaara-kun, Temari-san!" Soraoi approached a few yards ahead of them, dragging along a very well groomed Shikamaru.

"Well don't you look nice?" Temari commented, having cooled down some.

"Thanks." Shikamaru mumbled.

Temari considered teasing him by saying that she'd been referring to Soraoi's baby blue kimono, with the sky blue and indigo trimming and decorative cherry blossom flowers; but upon seeing the slight flush on Shikamaru's face at her compliment, she decided against it.

"It's good to see you again Temari-san." Soraoi walked up to the girl to give her a hug.

At first, it took Temari by surprise; she wasn't use to this type of warmth, having grown up with a father who was willing to sacrifice his children for political gain. As a result, they had never been a very close knit family. It wasn't until Gaara's fight with Naruto that things had begun to change. Over the years, the three siblings had become undeniably close. They had learned to value one another as teammates and as siblings, but most importantly as friends. They were no longer tied to one another out of obligation and duty, but united through love and affection. Still, though they had learned to appreciate one another and had grown to care for each other, they were not particularly affectionate.

They had never been given affection, and thus did not know how to give it. This is why, when Soraoi came upon Temari to embrace her, the older kunoichi had felt a bit apprehensive. Seemingly sensing Temari stiffness, and guessing at why, Soraoi pulled away quickly, but only after giving Temari a slight squeeze of reassurance.

"It is good to see you as well, Gaara-kun." Soraoi continued, walking over to the Kazekage and embraced him.

Much like his sister, who had been unnerved by the sudden closeness of the bubbly Nara, Gaara was also left a bit uneasy, while at the same time strangely comforted. Had it been anyone else, he was certain he might have used Desert Coffin on her. As it were, however, he simply allowed her to cling to him. It had even occurred to him to hug her back, but no sooner had he considered the thought, had Soraoi let go of him, and moved back to standing next to her brother.

"And you." Gaara replied, in his typical unemotional tone.

"Yeah… it's good to see you again." Temari returned the other girl's smile.

"So what are we doing first?" Soraoi asked.

"I dunno." Shikamaru shrugged.

"…" Gaara just stared out over the colorfully decorative booths lined up and down the streets.

"Why don't we try that one out first?" Temari suggested, pointing towards what appeared to be the longest line.

"It's too long a line." Shikamaru groaned.

"That just mean's it probably the best thing here." Temari exclaimed.

"You don't even know what it's for, do you?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Well, we could ask." Soraoi suggested.

She walked up to the last person in line and tapped her on the shoulder. None of them had yet realized that the entire line was mostly female.

"Excuse me?" Soraoi asked the girl standing in front of her.

"Yeah?" The woman quickly glanced over to Soraoi before turning back to face the front of the line. She looked to be in her mid 20's, with spiky black hair. She wore a short mustard skirt over a metal mesh body suit, and a long tan over-coat.

"What is this line for?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oi. Hey Kid." Anko turned to face the small group, "This is the line to the kissing booth."

"Kissing booth?" Temari asked, with a disgusted look on her face, "What self respecting kunoichi would allow herself to be used this way?"

"Who said anything about a girl?" Anko gestured for them to see that the line was primarily female.

"A Man?" Soraoi amusedly asked.

"Well, men." Anko replied, "but Gai's line isn't doing as well as Kakashi's." she replied.

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**A/N:** haha… And I'm sure people are lining up only 10 because they want to see what's under Kakashi's mask, and 90 because he's Kakashi… I love Kakashi!

I was debating between this kissing booth idea, or Tenten as a fortune teller, but I think I'll leave that idea for a NejiTen one shot.

Anyway, I was going to write more, but I want to get to bed early … tomorrow's my birthday, and I need to get up early… yay!... anyway, I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible, but chances are it won't be for two or three days at the least…

I'm sorry if this chapter's not all that exciting, but it's mostly character development, or rather the development of these two relationships… but no worries, next chapter we get an exciting … "thing"…. happen, and it's going to be very action packed (lets hope I can write a good fight scene, though, because I've never tried before).

Thanks for the reviews.

**NEXT UP: Surprise . **


	7. Attack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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_eeeeeee THUMP_

_eeeeeee THUMP_

_eeeeeee THUMP_

"That was really good!" Tenten cheerfully exclaimed as she pulled out the remaining kunai from the center of the bull's-eyes.

"Thanks." Soraoi smiled.

"Coming from Tenten, that's a huge compliment." Temari remarked.

"Well it's clear you're very skilled." Tenten handed Soraoi her prize, a stuffed raccoon.

"Thank you." Soraoi smiled.

"Oi, Soraoi, Temari." Shikamaru and Gaara walked over to the marksmanship booth that Neji and Tenten were manning, having come back from getting the girls something to eat from Naruto and Choji's booth.

"What's up?" Temari called back.

"We've got to get going, Gaara here has to get to the tournament" Shikamaru motioned for the girls to follow. They briefly said their goodbyes to Neji and Tenten, and began making their way over to the stadium.

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As part of the peace festival, the Hokage had organized a tournament. All five Kage's were to attend, and shinobi from each nation would compete for the grand prize. The tournament had been patterned after the final rounds of the Chunin exams; however anyone could participate in it regardless of rank. Because of the lack of missions and the resulting boredom of shinobi throughout the nations, many had wanted to participate. However because of the political nature of the event, they had narrowed down the candidate for the tournament to three per shinobi nation, for a grand total of thirty-six participants, ranging from Chunin, to jonin to ANBU. Each battle was to be a one on one fight, amounting to a total of 35 matches, to be completed within the seven days of the festival.

With the opening ceremonies all well and over with, the day had been progressing nicely. It seemed, to most, that perhaps the dream of peace, that had alluded so many generations before, had finally been attained.

"Ladies and gentleman, once more I would like to take the time to thank you all for coming to what we hope to be the first annual Peace Festival. I would also like to thank The Kazekage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage for attending, as well as all the representatives of the shinobi villages. We will now begin today's matches. Please enjoy the tournament and the remainder of the festival."

A loud cheer ran through the stadium as the first match began; a Sand shinobi against a Rain kunoichi, both jonin; both evenly matched. It was an exciting battle, but in the end the sand shinobi won. After a short break, the second batter began; this time it was a fire Chunin against a snow jonin. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the festivities.

_CRASH! BOOM!_

Out of nowhere a sudden explosion shook the ground with a powerful jolt. Panic immediately erupted as all those gathered in the stadium began running through the stands in panic; outside, villagers and visitors alike ran though the streets in terror. The villagers had not forgotten the devastating effects of the sound and sand invasion years earlier, and this explosion was eerily reminiscent of that dreadful moment in the village's recent history. And though the five great nations and the other shinobi nations now shared a peaceful co-existence, suspicion and fear are a natural shadow in every man's heart. In mere moment's shinobi from every country were at each other, preparing for an all out war.

"Shinobi! Control yourselves!" Tsunade yelled out from up in the Kage's seats.

The loud and booming voice of the hokage, along with the supporting commands of the other Kage's momentarily put an end to the outburst. Every man, woman, and child stood still, awaiting further instructions.

"Everyone, please remain calm." Tsunade began, "Give us a moment, and we will get to the bottom of this."

Just as the hokage was instructing those gathered in the stadium to remain calm, a loud laugh was heard from high in the stands.

"No need to investigate, hokage-_sama_" a masked shinobi mockingly laughed.

"Who are you?" Tsunade demanded, remaining perfectly calm so as not to make the people in the stands nervous. Meanwhile the leaf shinobi began discreetly executing an evacuation of all civilians to minimize casualties.

"HOTARU!" a scream exploded from the stands. Everyone turned to see a fuming Soraoi, trembling in rage. She had flames bursting from her eyes as a dozen shuriken went soaring through the air straight for the taunting man. (A/N: Hotaru means firefly).

The weapon's moved quickly, too quickly for Hotaru to move out of the way. All twelve shuriken hit their mark, each in a vital part of the human body. But just as the weapons pierced the skin, a log took Hotaru's place.

"HA. Did you really belie-" Hotaru did not get the chance to finish his statement, no sooner had he reveled the replacement jutsu, had Soraoi appeared behind him in a split second, and pierced his flesh with a kunai.

"You were saying?" Soraoi hissed in his ear as Hotaru fell to his knees. The fury that Soraoi felt in her heart could only mask the terror she still felt within herself. She had killed him.

The body of the man who had tormented her every night, since the moment of the ambush up until the previous night in her nightmares, lay dead before her. Blood pored out of his back, as his body lay numbly on the ground; the color draining from his dark features. In her nightmares he had appeared larger than life; his six-foot frame towering over her five-feet had been a constant source of terror, but now he appeared so small to her, as she looked upon him, positioned in a defeated pose.

"Y-You BITCH!" a man from behind her lunged to attack Soraoi, but she quickly dodged him, and moved down to the arena, where the fire Chunin and snow Jonin, who had been in the middle of their match, still stood. Shikamaru and Temari quickly dashed down to join her, followed shortly after by Tsunade, Shizune, and Gaara.

"What's going on?" Temari asked Soraoi.

"Who are they?" Tsunade demanded from the girl, furious at her lack of control. It had been a risky move to make, especially when nothing had been established. There was plenty to indicate that the thirty or so ninja's with Hotaru were enemy ninja's, but until it was certain, any move would have been discouraged. Tsunade was furious, even if Soraoi knew who the man was; her mistake could have cost the village a lot.

"They're the rouge ninja's who attacked Tomoe-sensei and I." Soraoi explained. A silent acknowledgement passed through those around her. They now understood why Soraoi had acted as she had.

"So this is where you ended up, girly" a man squatting beside Hotaru's body smirked at Soraoi.

"You're next Tatsuo!" Soraoi spat out.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N**: Sorry if it's a little on the short side, but I had to cut it short, I'm getting up early tomorrow to take my baby bro's to see Harry Potter so I have to make it an early night…

This chapter has, without a doubt, been the hardest one I've written simply because I'm not much a fight scene writer…

Oh, I wanted to make a note. I'm not sure if anyone's noticed this before, but if you haven't, you should note that Soraoi is beyond respectful, she always uses honorifics and is all about manners and politeness. (if you don't believe me, check through the previous chapter's and you'll see). Anyway, I just wanted to make a point that I did NOT forget to do that this time; I purposely left out the honorifics for these bad guys.

One more thing… wow, I never realized what a challenge it is to write sounds. (I almost put in a KABOOM… lol)

**THANKS:** thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed this story, I really do appreciate it.

Boredwithlifeandlove, I had a great birthday :D, thank you.  
ShikaTem.rox.like.hell, I like Kankuro with Hana, they fit to me for some reason. Maybe it's the face paint… lol… Kakashi… um… he's just so cool… I actually have a new story I'm starting with Kakashi and an OC. But I'm not as focused on it as this one, I want to finish this one before I really get focused on the other one.  
Babygurl1012… Shika is awesome, but I just love Kakashi better…  
And finally, thank you very much ThisIsntClaire, you were my first reviewer to this story, so I'm glad you're still with me one this one. :D

**NEXT UP:** more of this same… I think… we'll see… any suggestions?... oh I do have one surprise coming up…


	8. The Fight begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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"So this is where you ended up, girly" a man squatting beside Hotaru's body smirked at Soraoi.

"You're next Tatsuo!" Soraoi spat out.

Soraoi remained still and impassive, watching the men surround the arena, ready to begin their attack at a moment's notice. On the outside she appeared calm and collected, but on the inside, her heart was waging an inner war with itself.

_Why are they here? What do they want? What's going to happen? How will this end? AHHH! DIE! ALL OF THEM; DIE!_

She wanted to jump up there and kill Tatsuo and the others she recognized, just as she'd killed Hotaru, but she was certain that even with her training and skill, there was no way that was possible. She'd been lucky in killing Tatsuo; she'd been running on adrenaline and rage. Under different circumstances, there would have been no way she could have killed Hotaru.

Hotaru had been a top general during the great ninja wars, killing hundreds with his fire-based jutsu. He had been known for his cruelty in battle as much as for hunger for power. A shinobi from the land of lightning, Hotaru had been plotting to overthrow the Raikage, but in the end, his plans had been discovered and he had been captured before he could make his move. He managed to escape his execution, but had been on the run ever since.

Though Soraoi had grown skilled after many years of training with Tomoe, learning various elemental jutsu's and mastering a vast majority, she knew that there was so much more she had to learn and grow. She was not ashamed to admit that she was still too young and inexperienced to be a match for an S-class shinobi, like Hotaru or Tatsuo; that had been more then evident when she failed to defeat them during the ambush.

-------FLASHBACK-------

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." Tomoe gestured to the small chrysalis that trembling on the branch below where Soraoi was sitting, high up on a tree.

"So what you're saying is that beauty is something we turn into?" Soraoi questioned, as she watched the butterfly struggle to release itself from its cocoon.

A young boy in the village they had just passed through had come up to Soraoi and handed her a single rose, telling her she was beautiful. Soraoi had been confused as to what the boy was referring to. She had heard the word in reference to herself many times, but walking with Tomoe, no one had ever dared to come up to her and tell her personally. It had always been a puzzle for Soraoi. She had often wondered what it meant and why so many people put such emphasis upon the word.

During their travels, Soraoi had overheard many conversations between girls her age talking about clothes and make up and hair styles, necessary in making them beautiful, but it had never made any sense to Soraoi. If beauty was an aesthetic quality that one possessed, how then, did one go about _making_ themselves possess that quality? Was it something that one needed to train at? As she understood it, it was something that either was or was not; she certainly never strove to achieve such a quality, yet everywhere she went, she heard whispered assertions of her beauty. So then what was it? What made one person beautiful, and another not?

"What I'm saying," Tomoe began, "is that everything is beautiful in its own way, but people tend to focus on the outer shell, and often miss the inner beauty that one possesses."

Soraoi thought this over. It made sense to her. While she had often heard that she was beautiful, she had also often heard other's rudely comment that Tomoe was not. Many even dared to call the skilled kunoichi Ugly. Yet none of them knew anything about Tomoe. True, her "outer shell" was rough and unfeminine, but on the inside, Tomoe possessed a strength and light that few people could ever rival. Her wisdom was beyond compare; and her skills on the battle field unmatched.

"I think you're beautiful." Soraoi contemplated, looking upon the chrysalis, as the frail butterfly slowly emerged from its confines.

"Thank-" Tomoe had not been able to finish before the two quickly found themselves surrounded. A kunai in her back, Tomoe had fought with all her might, defending the younger kunoichi as the twenty or so shinobi ambushed them. The two women had put up an excellent fight, even taking down half a dozen of the opponent's men, but in the end, their skill and strength was still no match for the enemy's numbers.

Hit by a Fuuma Shuriken she had been unable to dodge, with the last of her strength, Soraoi had managed to turn towards Tomoe, only to see her sensei fall, before slipping into the darkness herself.

-------END OF FLASHBACK-------

"Oh, is that so?" Tatsuo mockingly replied.

The urge to charge at the rouge ninja was getting harder for Soraoi to suppress; a fact that her twin brother could easily identify and empathize with.

"What is it you want?" Shikamaru uncharacteristically stepped forth.

Shikamaru was normally not one take charge or make his presence noticed unless forced to, and this time was no different. It was part brotherly affection and protectiveness that had him step in front of his sister to block any attacks that may be directed towards her, but it was also because he could sense in his sister a desire to exact vengeance; an idea Shikamaru knew, would not end well.

"We all really missed you, girly." Tatsuo slimily snickered at Soraoi, ignoring Shikamaru, "especially Hotaru."

"Answer the question." Tsunade demanded. "Why are you here?"

"As you've no doubt already concluded, we're not exactly here to join the festivities." Tatsuo smugly replied.

"Then why are you here?" Gaara's gravely voice repeated, from beside Tsunade.

Tatsuo looked down at the group, taunting them without saying a word.

"You want to start a war." Shikamaru voiced, as realization hit him. Tsunade, Shizune, Temari, Soraoi and Gaara turned to face the lazy genius. Of course they knew he was right.

"That's right." Tatsuo replied. "And what more fitting a scene, to end this 'superficial peace' than here, at this 'Peace Festival'?"

"Whatever it is that motivates you, you should seek resolution through negotiation. There is still time to stop this." Tsunade echoed the words of the third, during the sand and sound invasion, years earlier.

There was a stillness in the air, when suddenly…

_SHING (A/N: lol… thanks babygurl1012)._

The sound of metal as it flew through the air, rang through the stadium. A handful of kunai streamed down upon the small group. A sand wall quickly rose, blocking the projectiles from hurting those behind the wall.

No sooner had Gaara's sand barrier dropped, had the enemy ninja swooped down and scattered through the stadium and throughout the village. What had appeared to be a group of thirty or so rouge ninja turned out to be over fifty or sixty; and why they were still very much outnumbered, they had planned well for this invasion. Smoke booms, and well positioned shinobi with poison darts clearly indicated that the rouge ninja's had been planning this invasion for some time.

While the rest of the leaf and allied nations shinobi fought in the stadium and out on the village streets, down in the stadium arena, Tatsuo charged upon Soraoi.

"You left without so much as a goodbye." Tatsuo taunted her, as he lunged at her right with a kunai.

"I'm so sorry if I insulted you." Soraoi sarcastically spat back, as she dodged Tatsuo's attack and countered with kick to the ribs, but was easily blocked. Tatsuo reached out and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her and began his signature jutsu, the "Bone Crushers Embrace".

"Of course I forgive you," Tatsuo fringed mock sincerity. "But I doubt that Hotaru would feel the same way." He clenched his arms tighter around Soraoi, sending his chakra through his arms to strengthen his grip, slowly suffocating the young kunoichi.

"Why don't you join him and find out for yourself?" Soraoi struggling to speak, let along move, she focused all of her chakra into her left arm and then proceeded to elbow him in the groin, resulting in Tatsuo releasing her from his grip.

"You'll pay for that!" the games were over, Tatsuo had gotten serious. The two fought almost evenly, but in the end, Tatsuo had one thing that Soraoi's young age could not counter: experience.

After what seemed like hours, but was more likely a few mere moments, Soraoi was knocked semi-unconscious on the ground, having been thrown clear across the arena after an ice storm jutsu counted her water jutsu. Soraoi lay motionless as Tatsuo quickly approached to deliver a final blow.

"Soraoi!" Shikamaru yelled out, but he was too far to reach her in time.

As Tatsuo approached with a spear of ice, ready to pierce through Soraoi's heart, suddenly a very angry looking Kazekage intercepted Tatsuo, sending the rouge ninja flying through the air.

"Are you alright?" Gaara reached down to help Soraoi up.

"Yeah, I-" No sooner had she gotten back on her feet when a lightness swept through her and she quickly passed out in Gaara's arms.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N**: this was my "attempt" at a fight scene. I hope it wasn't too bad. What can I say, I'm much better at writing fluff and humor (at least in my mind) than I am at writing action and mystery, but I gave it a shot, so I'm happy. **:D**

**FYI, I think I'm getting close to ending this (like a few more chapters) so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions or just something fun they want to me to include, by all means please let me know and more likely than not, I'll put it in there. :D**

**NETX UP: **Fluff, and a surprise (probably).


	9. Old Friend Returns

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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Every inch of her body ached as Soraoi lay on the stiff bed. It smelled of bleach and ammonia; a scent that could only mean one thing: she was in the hospital. Soraoi began to blink her eyes open. She wasn't tired anymore, but they still felt heavy, as if she'd been asleep for months. She faintly heard whispers outside the door, people walking down the hall ways, as was expected of a busy hospital.

She felt something warm next to her; someone sitting by her side. Her senses had not yet returned to her, no doubt due to the fact that recovering from her injuries drained her chakra considerably. As a result, Soraoi was unsure as to who was sitting at her bedside. She gently turned her head to the left to see who was there, but her eyes were still adjusting to the light, and all she could see was a lot of blurriness. As she was turning, her gaze stopped in front of the door, where she could make out faint voices agitatedly talking; about what, she could not be sure, but she suspected it might have something to do with her. As she returned to trying to catch a glimpse of the person next to her, she noticed a shadowed blur next to the door. It was another person, but still she could not see who. This presence, however, she could feel. It was stronger than the one next to her, and she could clearly sense the strength and darkness of that chakra, and the subtle pulse of loneliness.

"Gaara…" Soraoi's fragile whisper caught the attention of both those present in the room with her.

"Soraoi!" Shikamaru stood from his seat to look down and her. He motioned for Gaara to come closer; Gaara, of course, obliged. "Stay with her, I'll get Tsunade-sama." Shikamaru instructed, before running out of the room to find help.

"Gaara-kun." Soraoi looked up at the face of the man who had rescued her. His face appeared as impassive as ever, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that showed his inner joy at seeing the girl reawaken.

"How do you feel?" came the raspy voice of the Kazekage.

"I feel horrible." Soraoi truthfully answered, "But I want to thank you." Soraoi extended her left hand out to where Gaara had placed his hand beside her on the bed. "Thank you for saving me." She weakly smiled as she said this.

Gaara politely bowed his head in acknowledgement, watching as her fingers brushed against his hand. He had felt an urge to quickly remove his hand from its current location, feeling somewhat uneasy at the contact, and the feelings that were threatening to surface, but he remained as he was. A surge of energy rushed from the tips of his fingers up to his face, as the warmth of her skin touched his own; he fought back a blush that would, no doubt, have rivaled the color of his hair.

"Soraoi!" Shikaku rushed to his daughter's side, hardly registering that Gaara still stood next to her bedside. "You're awake! How are you feeling sweetheart?"

"Otousan." Soraoi smiled back at her father. "It hurts. But I can't complain, at least I'm alive." She looked over at Gaara, who had stepped aside to allow Shikaku and Yoshino to be next to their daughter, and smiled. (A/N: Otousan means father).

"Arigato, Kazekage-sama" Yoshino thanked Gaara. Shikaku nodded towards Gaara in silent gratitude.

"Everyone, step aside." Tsunade commanded as she entered the spacious hospital room and approached to check up on Soraoi. "So you're finally awake." Tsunade looked down at the girl, and remarked on how much better she looked.

"How long was I out?" Soraoi asked curiously.

"Not too long, about three days." Tsunade checked the girl's vitals, "It was touch and go for a while. You sustained a lot of damage from that fight with Tatsuo; a concussion, a few cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, some minor cuts and bruises; the worst of it was some internal injuries from when he tried to his 'Bone Crushers Embrace' on you the second time, but we managed to heal most of it. You'll still need to go through at least a month of recovery, but you should be fine in no time." Tsunade informed her.

"A month." Soraoi disappointedly repeated.

"You should be glad it's not more. If Gaara hadn't gotten to you in time, it could have been a lot worst." Tsunade pointed out.

"Yeah…" Soraoi nodded.

"Oi." Shikamaru spoke up to get Soraoi's attention. "There's someone here too see you."

"That's right." Shikaku excitedly exclaimed, "An old friend who helped us out during the attack."

No sooner had Soraoi begun to wonder who this 'old friend' could possibly be, when none other than Tomoe walked through the door of her hospital room. (A/N: If I were mean, I would so have ended this chapter right here, but I'm not… lol… most of the time).

"Tomoe-sensei…" Soraoi was stunned, "how-how is this possible? I- I thought-"

"That I was dead?" Tomoe finished for her.

"Hai." Soraoi replied, in disbelief.

"I thought the same thing." Tomoe walked over to Soraoi's right.

"How?" Soraoi asked again.

"After you fell, I rushed to your side, but my every attempt to reach you was blocked. I kept trying to fight off the remaining dozen or so missing-nin, until finally Hotaru used his Fire Dragon technique and the whole clearing was consumed in fire. I barely managed to dodge it. The fight ended there, and when I went back to the clearing, all that was left were ashes. I couldn't find you; I was afraid you'd been caught in the jutsu and perished." Tomoe explained.

"But that was months ago…" Soraoi stated. "Why didn't come to Konoha sooner? If you believed me to be dead, why hadn't you come to inform my family?" she questioned.

"Because in my heart, I didn't believe you could have died so easily." Tomoe replied, "I felt you were still alive, and so I searched for the group of missing-nin. Unfortunately I was unable to track their whereabouts. There movements were erratic, and I learned that they were planning something, though I had been unsure as to what."

"Yes, we heard rumors the day before the festival, but hadn't thought that they would be foolish enough to attempt a full scale attack. We won't be making those kinds of assumptions anymore." Tsunade added.

"Yes, it was a rather desperate move." Tomoe agreed, "But these were not low ranked shinobi that launched this attack; they were intelligent and talented ninja. You should be cautious not to classify this as a mere desperate attempt by ill-prepared shinobi. There is no question that man is a fearful beast. This group of missing-nin's goal may have simply been to put the seed of fear and doubt into the hearts of the masses. Peace is often destroyed, not by the outside influences of others, but the inner turmoil of the people's hearts."

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**A/N:** I end chapters when they just feel right. And this chapter just feels like it's done… no worries though, I still have plenty of daylight to write more, so I'm going to start on the next chapter right after I finish posting this one

Did you all see my surprise coming? I think I worked so hard on creating this Tomoe character that it seemed a pity not to use her. So yeah… I see the end coming soon…

Thanks again to everyone reading and reviewing.

NEXT UP: More of the fluff I promised… wonder who I'm referring to. (lol) **:D**


	10. Decisions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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"Have you made your decision?" Shikamaru looked over at Soraoi, who was laying next to him on the comfortable green grass.

"What would you do?" Soraoi asked, staring up into the clear blue sky.

"Such a troublesome question." Shikamaru muttered.

"It is." Soraoi agreed. She usually wasn't one to utter the infamous Nara word, but even _**she**_ had to agree that this was a very troublesome decision.

With Tomoe back, it seemed like the most logical thing to do was to go back to traveling with the legendary kunoichi, and return to her training, but so much had changed in the time that they had been separated. Soraoi had grown a lot through the new experiences she had had. Though not all of them had been pleasant, she's learned a lot about herself and about the world, that she had never before known.

"If I went back with Tomoe-sensei, everything would go back to the way it used to be." Soraoi contemplated.

"And that's what you want?" Shikamaru asked.

"What do you mean?" Soraoi turned to face him, trying to read his expression.

"Is it what you want? For everything to go back to the way it was before the two of you were ambushed?" Shikamaru clarified.

Soraoi thought about this. She did want things to be like they were before; she liked her life, traveling with Tomoe. But there was another reason.

She tried to deny that the months she had spent as a prisoner to the missing-nin did not tug at her soul; that it didn't ache in her heart, but the truth was, it did. And deep down, she secretly believed that if she were to resume her old life, before the ambush, that she could pretend like it never happened. That she could go back; back to the way it was before. But she knew better; there was no going back.

"I do." She confessed, "But I can't. I know that now."

Shikamaru looked over to his sister. He could see the sadness in her eyes, the sorrow in her heart. If he could find a way, he would have taken her pain and made it his own. But he couldn't, all he could do was be there for her.

"You could always stay." He offered.

"I could." She smiled, "Make friends, become a village kunoichi, join a squad, go on missions. Be… home..." She allowed the last word to linger on her tongue.

She'd never really had a home. True, she'd always had a place to sleep, and a place to _**call**_ home, but she'd never really experienced the pleasures of sleeping in the same bed a second night in a row, except on the rare occasions when she had come back to Konoha for one reason or another. She'd always been a wanderer, traveling from one land to another, experiencing a new sunrise in a different location every day.

The idea of staying in one place permanently had never occurred to her until recently. Even when she had first arrived in Konoha, after escaping the clutches of the missing-nin, she had been so swept up in her own inner turmoil that she hadn't stopped to consider the idea that she might be staying in the hidden leaf village for ever.

"Or you could accept Gaara's offer." Shikamaru smirked.

"Gaara?" Soraoi smirked, "What happened to Gaara-sama?" Soraoi teasingly poked his side.

"You don't honestly believe I'm going to keep **that** up, if he's going to be my brother-in-law now, do you?" Shikamaru teased.

"Oh?" Soraoi sat up and turned to face Shikamaru, "Are you and Temari finally getting married then?" she excitedly clapped her hands together, causing Shikamaru to blush at her teasing.

During her month of recover, the sand siblings had made many trips to Konoha to help with the restoration process, after the rouge ninja's attack. Over the course of the month, Soraoi and Gaara had become close. It had started out with Gaara coming to see how she was progressing in her recovery, and quickly blossomed into a friendship, which pretty soon became a romance.

Most had been a bit surprised that the usually quiet and antisocial Kazekage had befriended the bubbly Nara girl, but upon seeing the change she had roused in the young Kage, people began to wonder if perhaps there was more to their friendship then mere gratitude and respect.

Gaara, though still quite reserved, had begun to interact with others a little more freely. He spoke more than he was accustomed to, though he still waiting to be addressed before beginning to speak. He smiled more openly, though usually that was only when Soraoi was around, which was pretty often, since they spent almost all of their free time together. Whenever the sand siblings were in town, after completed his duties as Kazekage, Gaara would go visit Soraoi at her physical therapy, and then they would spend the rest of the day together. In hardly any time at all, the two realized they had fallen in love with one another.

-------FLASHBACK-------

"You're looking much better." Gaara commented on Soraoi's injuries, which had almost completely mended, as they walked side by side towards a grassy hillside.

"Are you saying I looked ugly before?" Soraoi questioned mocking insult.

"No." he replied.

Unlike her brother, who was easily flustered by her teasing, Gaara remained unaffected. He understood that she often liked played this way to see what kind of reaction she'd get from him, though she rarely ever succeeded in prying out more than a faint smile from the young Kazekage. She didn't mind, however, since she knew it was much more than most got.

"I am feeling a lot better actually." Soraoi placed the blanket she had been carrying down on the moist grass.

It had rained the previous night, resulting in mud puddles and glimmering blades of grass, but they had planned this picnic days earlier, and a little condensation was not going to stop Soraoi. Fortunately, it appeared like the rains had subsided, much to Gaara's relief, since he didn't much like rain, or water in general, seeing as how his sand was useless when it was all muddy. A fact that Soraoi found rather humorous, since having been trained by a Hidden Mist ninja, her main jutsu's were all water-based.

"Good." Gaara replied, as he put the basket he'd been holding down on the blanket.

"Sit down then." Soraoi instructed, as she took her own seat on the thick checkered blanket.

They sat down and enjoyed the noon day sun high above them, as they ate the meal Soraoi had prepared for them. The clouds had all dispersed, and the gray sky was beginning to clear into a light blue again. They could hear birds in the distance, coming out from their hidden shelters, to stretch their wings and soar freely through the heavens.

"I love rainbows." Soraoi mused as she looked up into the sky above them.

"Behind the veil

Hidden beauty lies.

Happy hues on bended trail

Lighting up two lovers eyes." Gaara recited, as he looked up into the sky with Soraoi.

"Within two hearts

A light shines through

As romance starts

And love begins to brew." Soraoi finished the poem.

"You've heard it before?" Gaara questioned.

"Yes, but only once, when I was very little." Soraoi explained, "Since then, I've never heard it again."

"Neither have I." Gaara replied.

"So where did you hear it?" Soraoi asked.

"It was on a trip to the land of Crystals when I was very young. It had just stopped raining, when we arrive. In the sky, there was a giant rainbow. It was the first time I had ever seen a rainbow." He explained "There was an old woman talking to a child. That's when I heard the poem. There was a legend that went with it, but I was unable to hear it." Gaara regretfully admitted.

He remembered that day well. The land of crystals was famous for its elegant buildings and colorful folklore. When they stepped off of their carriage, the ground had been soaked, and appeared to be a never ending ocean because of the color of the paved streets. Gaara could remember stepping out and being mesmerized by the colors in the rainbow. He had never seen so many colors in his life. Without even realizing it, he had wandered away from the rest of his party, as he followed the rainbow's path; shortly after he had come upon the old woman, who had recited her poem to the eager little girl. He had wanted to stay for the story, but the Kazekage's personal guards had found him and taken him back to join the rest of his family, thus preventing him from hearing the tale.

"I was there." Soraoi whispered in awe at the realization.

"What?" Gaara asked, turning away from the rainbow to face the girl.

"I was the child that old lady was talking to." Soraoi insisted.

"What makes you think that?" Gaara wondered.

"Because I remember that day very well. It was the day I heard the poem too. And right when the old woman was about to tell me the legend, two guards passed by us to take the Kazekage's son back to his party." She explained.

"How did you know it was the Kazekage's son?" Gaara asked.

"Well for one, they wore the mark of the sand village. But mostly it was because they asked us if we'd seen the Kazekage's son." Soraoi explained.

This time Gaara smirked, "So you heard the legend?" he asked.

"Yes." Soraoi smiled. She loved it when he smiled, even if it were just a smirk.

"Tell me." Gaara asked in a commanding voice.

"The legend goes that millions of years ago, when the mountains in the land of crystals were first being formed, and the sky was separating from the sea, two lovers met. They instantly fell in love with one another, but because each was destined to rule a different part of the country, they were unable to stay together. The man was set to rule the sky in brilliant radiance, and the girl was to rule the earth in strength and clarity. The lovers were parted, and as a result the heavens openly wept in heavy rains. After the rain had cleared, a brilliant rainbow spread across the sky, connecting the lover's two worlds." Soraoi's eyes sparkled as she remembered the sight of the rainbows in the Land of Crystals, "See, the reason rainbows in the land of crystals are bigger and brighter than any rainbow in any other land, is because it needed to be; in order to build a bridge between the sun in the sky and the crystals in the mountains. A bridge between the two lovers. Legend has it, that if two lovers meet under a Land of Crystal's rainbow, their love will be eternally blessed by the two deities, and shall be among the purest and truest loves of all time." Soraoi smiled as she remembered the story.

"That's a beautiful story." Gaara commented.

"It is." Soraoi agreed.

The two sat in silent, each trapped in their own thoughts, as they gazed upon the rainbow that had slowly begun to fade.

"Soraoi." Gaara spoke, breaking the silence and pulling Soraoi out of her day dream about the legend.

"Yes?" Soraoi turned to face him.

"Come back with me." Gaara softly pleaded.

"…" She looked at him with a confused expression; not understanding what he meant.

"Come live with me in Suna." Gaara asked.

"Wh--" She was at a lost for words, "huh?"

"I realize it is much too soon to ask you to be my bride, but…" Gaara looked deeply into Soraoi's eyes, as if seeking to find in her a mirror image of what he felt inside. "I love you."

"I love you too, Gaara-kun." And she did, but…

"Then marry me." It wasn't an order, though it came in his usual commanding tone.

"I-- I--" Soraoi was stunned; couldn't think of anything to say. So much had happened; her life had been flipped upside down, and now…

"You don't have to answer yet." Gaara assured her. "Take a few days to think. But I would like an answer before I leave in four days."

-------END OF FLASHBACK-------

"So what are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked from beside Soraoi on the grassy hillside.

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**A/N: **The end… lol… no, I'm just kidding… There's at least one more chapter left to this story… maybe more… who knows… anyway… This took me practically all day. It was the poem and the story that took the longest, but I liked them (well the story more than the poem, I just wasn't feeling very poetic today).

I hope you liked. Thanks again to all my reviewers. :D

I'm sorry ThisIsntClaire, but I'm afraid so… couldn't last forever could it?...

**NEXT UP:** Soraoi's decision.


	11. WAIT!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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It was a beautiful day in Konoha, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and children were playing in the streets. But all of this went unnoticed by the troubled Soraoi. She had been lost in thought for the last couple of days, wondering what it was she should do next. Stay home and live the life of a normal girl her age? Marry a man whom she'd only just met, but had fallen deeply in love with? Or go back to the life she'd always loved and always dreamed of living, growing in strength and skill until she'd become a master kunoichi?

It was the hardest decision she had ever had to make. Follow her passion, Follow her heart, or rest her tired soles. No, there really were only two choices; Tomoe or Gaara. As much as she loved Shikamaru and her parents, home wasn't really a place she belonged. She loved coming to visit, and wished she could come by more often, but she knew she had long since outgrown Konoha. It was wonderful village, and there was much she'd love to learn from it, but she knew, as well as her family did, that the gates of Konoha could never hold her in.

Over the time it had taken for Soraoi to heal from her injuries, she had experienced the life of a normal girl. She'd gotten to explore the village and the surrounding forest. She had meet new people, and learned some new jutsu's from her clan. She had lived a sample of the life she would have lived, had she never left the village. And as much as she had enjoyed this, deep in her soul, she knew it was not the life that suited her.

"SORAOI!" a voice shouting from behind her pulled Soraoi out of her walking daze.

"Oh, Hello Temari-san." Soraoi politely waved at the sand kunoichi, who was standing just outside of a popular Dango restaurant.

"I thought that was you." Temari walked over to Soraoi, "Why don't you come join us for lunch?" without waiting for Soraoi's reply, Temari began pulling the girl back to the restaurant.

"Us?" Soraoi asked, as she was dragged inside the restaurant.

There, sitting near the entrance of the restaurant, on a wooden bench table, were Tenten, Sakura, Ino and Hinata.

"Ohayo Soraoi." Sakura greeted the Nara girl. (A/N: Ohayo means Hello)

"Hello Soraoi." Tenten smiled as the two kunoichi approached the table.

"H-Hi Soraoi-san." Hinata stuttered.

"Hey Soraoi." Ino smiled at her teammate's sister.

"Hello Sakura-san, Tenten-san, Hinata-san, Ino-san; it's nice to see you all again." Soraoi bowed politely.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

"Much better, thank you." Soraoi motioned to her faded cuts and bruises, "I'm almost completely healed. And I'm finally done with the physical therapy." She added.

"That's good." Sakura replied.

"So… umm…" Temari stammered uncharacteristically, "have you decided yet?" she asked.

"Decided?" Ino repeated, ever the queen of gossip.

"Shiki-kun told you?" Soraoi questioned Temari.

She was fairly certain that Gaara wouldn't have mentioned it, and the only person _**she**_ had told, was Shikamaru. So if Temari knew, that only meant Shikamaru had told her.

"How troublesome." Soraoi sighed.

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say 'troublesome' before." Temari smirked amusingly, upon hearing Shikamaru's trademark saying.

"Well it is." Soraoi replied. "And I can't believe Shiki-kun told you." She was a little disappointed that her brother had betrayed her confidence.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I tortured it out of him." Temari explained.

"Well, I suppose it had to get out sooner or later." Soraoi sighed.

"So have you?" Temari asked again.

"No. I'm still unsure." Soraoi responded, "I'm very confused."

"I think you should go for it. You've been traveling all you're life, I think settling down for a while could be good for you." Temari reasoned.

"I suppose." Soraoi said thoughtfully, "but… I don't know if I'm ready to be getting married."

"MARRIED?!?!?" all five kunoichi shouted in surprise.

"That… wasn't what you were talking about?" Soraoi questioned, slightly blushing as she realized her mistake.

"N-No." Temari struggled to speak after receiving that piece of information. "My brother proposed?" she asked anxiously.

"Hai." Soraoi nodded her head in response.

"And what did you say?" Sakura eagerly asked.

"I didn't say anything." Soraoi explained. "He told me to think about it."

"Wait…" Tenten turned to Temari, "if you didn't know about this, then what were _you_ talking about?"

"Shika told me that you were deciding between staying in Konoha permanently, and leaving to train with Tomoe-sama again." Temari explained to Soraoi.

"I know he wouldn't betray my confidence." Soraoi berated herself for ever having doubted her beloved brother.

"So what _**are**_ you going to do?" Ino asked. The other four girls waited excitedly for Soraoi's reply.

"I don't know." Soraoi replied, looking agitated. "There's so much I need to think about."

All four leaf kunoichi nodded and stated their agreement. Only Temari remained silently lost in thought. It was her brother, after all, who had proposed to Soraoi. She understood Soraoi's dilemma; she had many desirable options from which to choose from. But as a sister, Temari didn't want her younger brother's heart to be crushed if Soraoi were to choose not to accept his proposal.

"Soraoi-chan." Tomoe barked, from the doorway next to the table where the six kunoichi were sitting.

"Tomoe-sensei." Soraoi stood up and bowed out of respect.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" Tomoe requested.

"Hai." Soraoi replied, "Temari-san, Tenten-san, Sakura-san, Hinata-san, Ino-san; excuse me." She politely bowed before exiting the restaurant with Tomoe.

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"What was it you wanted to speak with me about, Tomoe-sensei?" Soraoi asked.

They had been walking in silence for the past ten minutes. They had made their way out to the forest that surrounded the village of Konoha, and now stood in the middle of a clearing.

"It has come to my attention that the young Kazekage has engaged you in a proposition of marriage." Tomoe stated bluntly, turning to look upon her apprentice, trying to see her reaction to this information.

"How-" Soraoi was about to asked, but changed her mind. Her master was very adept at intelligence gathering; it really didn't surprise Soraoi that she had discovered this.

"Am I to assume you will no longer be returning to your training with me?" Tomoe asked.

"I-" Soraoi began, "I have not yet decided." She replied honestly.

"I see." Tomoe could understand the confusion that was no doubt plaguing her apprentice's mind at the moment. "I have a peace of advice." Tomoe began, "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." (1).

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The day had finally arrived, and Soraoi was feeling the pressure. She had spent the last four days weighting all the pros and cons of each choice, only to come to the same conclusion; it was _**troublesome**_. She loved Gaara very much, but her dream had always been to become the greatest kunoichi ever. Choosing one, meant she would have to give up the other; but which one?

Soraoi had spent the whole day wandering the training grounds until she found herself once more, up on the grassy hillside Shikamaru had taken her when they were younger. It was among the furthest points from the main gates in the entire village, and that's what she needed; distance. The rumors of Gaara's proposal had made their way through the streets of Konoha, and today was not a day Soraoi wanted to be out where everyone could see her.

The day had been nice out, which normally would have made Soraoi very happy, but with everything going on in her head, she had found little enjoyment in watching the clouds fly by, as she lay down on the grass, watching the sky above. After a while, she had fallen asleep without even realizing it, and woke up hours later.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed, as she saw the position of the sun, and realized how late it really was. "I have to hurry." She told herself, getting up to rush towards the village gates.

The sand siblings were due to leave for Suna in a few minutes, and Soraoi had not yet given Gaara her reply. She did not yet know what it was she was going to say to him, but she certainly didn't want him to leave without seeing him one last time.

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"GAARA!" Soraoi yelled out, hoping to catch the attention of the red head and his party, who had just arrived at the village gates.

There was a large group assembled around the gates; no doubt to bid the sand ninja's goodbye. It seemed like everyone had made it to wish the Kazekage farewell. Shikamaru and all of his friends were there; even Shikaku, Yoshino, and Tomoe were there, along with the hokage and Shizune.

"Gaara-kun." Soraoi said, out of breath, as she reached the departing group. "May I speak with you for a moment?" she asked, having caught her breath some.

Gaara motioned towards a short distance away from the group, and Soraoi followed.

"I was afraid I might not see you before I left." Gaara spoke, trying to break the uneasy tension between the two.

Normally he wouldn't mind standing in awkward silence, but he could tell that Soraoi was having a hard time with whatever it was she wanted to say, and so he spoke so try and ease her anxiety.

"Umm…" Soraoi stared down at the dirty road, unable to come up with the right words.

"…" Gaara remained silent, though inside he was anxious to know what it was she had decided.

Moment's earlier, he had feared that she would not have given him an answer; now at least he would know for certain whether she had rejected him or not. It would devastate him if she did, but at least he would know.

"I love you." Soraoi looked up to face him.

"I love you too." Gaara replied, feeling much better, hearing those words leave her mouth.

"But…" there was a lump in her through she was trying to fight back. "I can't go with you." She chokingly finished.

"…" That hurt. His body had stiffened when she had uttered the word 'but', but he remained unmoved and listened to what she had to say.

A part of him wanted to salvage his pride and walk away in his usual unemotionally, reserved manner, but another part of him just had to know, "Why?"

"This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make." Soraoi explained, "I want to be with you, but I can't forget my dream of becoming a great kunoichi. If I give that up now…" She chocked on the words, "But I don't want to lose you either…" Soraoi was on the verge of tears at this point, as she noticeably trembled.

"You won't." He walked up to her and embraced her in his arms, kissing her forehead.

They stood there for a moment, as the others looked on. After a few moments, Gaara loosed his hold on her and cupped her face with his right hand, bringing it up to face him and look her in the eyes.

"I first met you under the Crystal rainbow; if I must wait, than I will wait." He brought his face closer to her until they were only centimeters apart, and then he brushed her lips with hers, giving her a faint and gentle kiss.

"Life is really quite simple, and yet we insist on making it more complicated than is truly necessary." Tomoe walked up to the two young lovers, after they had separated from one another. (2)

"Tomoe-sensei…" Soraoi began, but Tomoe motioned for her to be silent.

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." Tomoe said, "Or adjust to fit the circumstances." (3)

"What do you mean?" Soraoi asked, confused.

"I mean, dear child," Tomoe walked over to where Soraoi and Gaara were standing, "It might be good change to train in a desert climate for once."

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(1), (2), (3): these are Confucius quote (well, 1 and 3 are a little modified to fit the story, but basically say the same thing).

A/N: yeah… I changed my mind, I was going to make this the last chapter, but I think I need one more, so this is the second to last chapter. But the story pretty much ends here, the next chapter will just be to tie up lose ends, you know, the whole "and they lived happily ever after." ending. **:D**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed. :D**


	12. Rainbow Falls

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

This final Chapter I dedicate to **ThisIsntClaire**, **Babygurl1012**, **ShikaTem.rox.like.hell**, and **Boredwithlifeandlove**. … Thank you for reading my story and reviewing, it made writing each chapter all the more enjoyable. I hope you enjoy this last one. :D

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"Crystal Country?" Shikamaru scratched his head, wondering why, of all place, Gaara and Soraoi had decided to hold their ceremony in the far off Land of Crystals.

"Don't ask me." Temari shrugged, "I've only ever been out here once; and that was a **long** time ago."

"They couldn't possibly have picked a worst time for this, either," Yoshino complained, sitting next to Shikamaru and Temari on a wooden bench table, at one of the finer restaurant's in Niji**taki**.(A/N: Niji means rainbow, and taki means waterfall, but, lets pretend it means Rainbow-falls, the name of the hidden village of the Land of Crystals, which if you forgot, I just made up).

"Well, at least it looks like the rain is going to stop soon." Shikaku observed, looking up at the cloudy sky through the window.

Everyone had arrived two days earlier, in anticipation of the festivities; unfortunately, it had been raining rather heavily. This had come as a disappointment to everyone, except the bride and groom, who appeared to be pleased by the sight of the rain, though no one was sure why.

Temari had suggested to the couple that they move their outdoor wedding into the feudal lord's mansion, but this idea was met with two resounding "No's!" So instead, the entire wedding party was forced to wait out the rain.

"This is so troublesome." Shikamaru huffed.

"They don't seem to mind." Kankuro pointed toward the happy couple who was walking outside, enjoying the light sprinkles.

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"I think tomorrow's going to be the day." Soraoi happy stated, as she twirled around in the moonlight.

"It appears that way." Gaara stood under the umbrella, avoiding the rain as much as possible, but enjoying being out with his beautiful bride nonetheless.

It was beautiful night out, despite the light drizzle, and the following day was sure to be a wonderful day for a wedding.

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"You look beautiful." Yoshino told her daughter, as she helped pin the last strand of hair into place.

"Thank you." Soraoi smiled at her mother's reflection in the mirror before her.

She was very excited, though at the same time quite nervous. Outside the Shinto shrine, in the temple gardens, awaited her family and closest friends, along with the man who she would soon be calling her husband. The old Soraoi would be forgotten; all the good and bad experiences she had lived through, nothing more than a distant memory, and a new Soraoi would emerge.

Much had changed since the day she had walked through the gates of Konoha, months earlier. She had come in, a listless shattered spirit, with little hope, and broken dreams, and had come out, with a full heart and a new love.

"I'm ready." She smiled as she saw her father enter the room to escort her out into the gardens.

"My little girl…" Shikaku whispered in awe at the sight of his daughter dressed in a white shiro-maku. (A/N: Shiro meaning white and maku meaning pure; it's a traditional Japanese wedding kimono).

Everyone else exited the room, and moved out into the gardens, where the rest of the guests were ready and waiting for Soraoi's entrance.

"You look just like your mother." Shikaku said, as he extended his right arm for Soraoi to take.

"Thank you." She replied, latching her left arm into her father's, as they made their way out into the gardens.

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Paper lanterns hanging from the trees, lined the surrounding area, casting a soft glow that was truly mesmerizing. Gaara stood next to the Shinto priest, as musicians played flutes and other wind instruments, adding to the serene ambience.

Shikaku walked Soraoi down the short aisle, past the few close friends and family assembled in the lush green gardens. The chairs were decorated white with light blue cranes engraved on the backs. Everyone was dressed very elegantly.

As Soraoi walked down the aisle with her father, she looked over the crowd of those gathered to share in her joyous occasion. Shikamaru, of course, was positioned in the spot reserved for the best man, and Temari stood as Soraoi's maid of honor. The rest of the guests included all of Shikamaru's friends, who had become friends with Soraoi over the time she had gotten to know them, as well as having shared a history, and friendship, with Gaara and the sand siblings. Tomoe, of course, was present, seated next to Yoshino, having been like a second mother to Soraoi. Some Suna council members, including Baki, Chiyo and Ebizo, and some Suna ANBU members, as well as the Hokage, a small number of jonin, and a few Konoha ANBU escorts were also present.

When father and daughter arrive before the Shinto priest, Shikaku politely bowed at the Priest and Gaara, and then made his way towards where his wife was seated, to join her during the ceremony.

"You look lovely." Gaara sincerely smiled, as his bride approached his side.

"I love when you smile." Soraoi said, smiling back at her groom.

As the ceremony began, the priest said a few words to the bride and groom and those assembled there to witness their union, and then began the purifying ritual. After the purification and vows were performed, the priest commenced the "san san ku do" ritual, an ancient wedding custom of sharing sake. (A/N: San San Ku Do means "three sets of three sips equals nine").

The exquisite miniature sized sake set, consisting of three flat cups escalating in size, was placed before the couple. Starting with the smallest of the three cups, Gaara took his three sips and then handed the cup to Soraoi, who proceeded to drink from it. He then took the middle size sake cup, took three sips, and passed it over to Soraoi to do the same. Lastly, he took the largest sake cup and drank from it, before passing it, once more, over to Soraoi. At the conclusion of the sake toast ceremony, both families drank a cup of sake to signify, not only the union of the bride and groom, but also the unity of the two families.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the priest pronounced the happy couple husband and wife. "You may now kiss the bride."

Gaara bent down slightly to lean in as Soraoi rose onto her tippy-toes; their faces mere inches apart, and then he pressed his lips on hers, in a chaste, yet passionate kiss. After what seemed like a blissful eternity, the young couple separated, both with wide smiles, and happy hearts.

"Look." Soraoi pointed towards the sky. Above them, high in the sky, was the brightest, most colorful rainbow any of their wedding guests had ever seen. All those gathered in the temple gardens were amazed at the beauty of the rainbow; everyone, that is, but Gaara and Soraoi, who had seen this rainbow once before, and many times within their dreams.

"Behind the veil

Hidden beauty lies.

Happy hues on bended trail

Lighting up two lovers eyes.

Within two hearts

A light shines through

As romance starts

And love begins to anew." Gaara and Soraoi quietly recited the poem to one another; unheard by those around them, changing the last word to mark the new beginning of their life as husband and wife.

"Our rainbow…"

THE END (A/N: And they lived happily ever after… lol)

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A/N: once, and for the final time (at least for this story), thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this story. **:D**


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